As a surgeon, I receive daily reminders to be thankful.
I have a unique view into the lives of my patients. Every day, I see the slow declines due to age; the ravages of disease; and the sudden, often dramatic, changes due to trauma. I have compassion for my patients’ situations and I appreciate those constant reminders to be grateful for what I have.
One experience in particular exemplifies a beautiful chain of gratitude. A 14-year-old girl was playing soccer and, during an intense play, took an elbow to her face. She felt a sudden flash of pain and a spurt of blood. Coaches and parents applied pressure to help stop the bleeding. She was rushed to a local emergency room and evaluated by an ER doctor.
The doctor determined that the laceration to her eyebrow was extremely complicated, and he called a colleague who knew me personally and recommended that I be the doctor to repair the eyebrow. As doctors, we are often asked what we would do if the patient were our loved one. That is how most of us approach medicine, and that is what happened here.
I met this young woman and her mother in my clinic. She was very brave, and I was able to do the repair right then and there. It was a very complicated wound, and I am grateful that my years of specialized training made a difference in her life. Her mother sent me an email a couple of months later reminding me that I had put more than 20 stitches in her daughter’s eyebrow to “piece her back together” after a sports injury. She included a current photo of her daughter, saying she was “amazed” by the results. She wrote, “Thank you again for seeing her in an emergency situation and for your detailed work in perfecting her left eye. We truly appreciate you!”
I am grateful to live in a country where this young patient was able to get medical attention immediately at an excellent emergency room. I am grateful for the emergency doctors who sent her where they felt she would receive the best care. I am thankful for my years of training and my mentors that made me capable of helping this young woman. I am grateful that she does not have a permanent reminder of her injury. And I am thankful for the mother who spent the time to say thank you. Some days are tough, but the gratitude helps me keep going.
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